Vehicle-body brace.



UNITED STATES Patented May 16, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. HAMMOND AND CHARLES W. HAMMOND, OF COMSTOCK, NEBRASKA.

VEHICLE-BODY BRACE- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,854, dated May 16, 1905.

Application filed December 5, 1904. Serial No. 235,592.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK W. HAMMOND and CHARLEs W. HAMMOND, citizens of the United States, residing at Comstock, in the county of Custer and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Body Braces; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in braces for vehicle-bodies and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a brace of this character whereby the body of a vehicle will be firmly supported, the covers prevented from separating, and the sides prevented from sagging or splitting.

. A further object is to provide means whereby the bars forming the brace may be adjusted to lengthen or shorten the same, thereby enabling the device to be applied to vehicles of different widths and to vehicles that have already been built.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a vehicle with the seat removed, showing the application of the brace. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertil cal sectional view of the vehicle-body, taken on a line with the brace.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes a vehicle-body, which may be of the ordinary or any desired form and consists of longitudinally-disposed sides 2 and a bottom 3, said sides and bottom being secured to longitudinal transversely-disposed sills 4 and 5. At a suitable point in said body and secured to the sides of the same are seat-risers.

6, which are connected at their upper ends by a cross bar or sill 7 upon which the seat 8 is adapted to rest. Said sills and risers are connected by transversely-disposed supportingbars 9. In the bottom longitudinal sills A of the body are arranged eyebolts 10. Above the same, in the seat-sills 7 and the adjacent sides of the vehicle-body, are arranged eyebolts 12. Connected to the eyebolts 12 is a horizontally-disposed tie bar or rod 13, Which is formed in two parts, having their inner ends threaded and connected by a turnbuckle 14, whereby the length of said rod may be increased or diminished. The outer ends of the rod-sections have formed thereon eyes or loops which are adapted to be engaged with the eyebolts 12.

Below the tie rod or bar 13 is arranged two diagonally or obliquely disposed tie rods or bars 15, which are preferably formed in two sections, having their inner ends threaded and connected by turnbuckles 16, whereby the length of the same may be increased or diminished. The upper ends of the tie-rods 15 have formed thereon eyes or loops 17, which are adapted to be engaged with the eyebolts 12, and the lower ends of said tie-rods 15 have formed thereon eyes or loops 18, which are adapted to be engaged with the eyebolts 10 in the longitudinal floor-sills of the vehicle.

A brace constructed as herein shown and described may be quickly and easily applied to various styles of vehicles in the course of their construction or which may be already constructed and will serve to greatly increase the strength and durability of said vehiclebodies. The adjustability of the rods forming said brace enables the same to be applied to vehicle-bodies of different widths and also permits of the same to be tightened and adjusted, thereby holding the parts of the vehicle-body at all times firmly and rigidly.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein described vehiclebody brace, consisting of a horizontally-disposed tie-rod made in two parts and connecting the sides of said body, diagonally-arranged twopart crossed rods connected at their upper ends to the opposite sides of the vehicle-body and at their lower ends to the side sills of the vehiclebody, loops or eyes formed on the ends of said rods, eyebolts arranged in the side sills and upper seat-sills of said body with which the loops or eyes on said rods are connected, and turnbuckles arranged on the contiguous inner I5 ends of said rods whereby the same may be lengthened or shortened, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our'hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK W.- HAMMOND. CHARLES W. HAMMOND. Witnesses: THoMAs S. JAoKsoN, AMANDA JACKSON. 

